By Kiera RIley | State Affairs
A special session on school voucher reform is off the table after a last-ditch deal to eliminate a legislative referral restricting educator unions and the Protect Education Act fell through with Democrats and education advocates.
The Arizona Education Association and Democrats twice tried to negotiate with the Republican majority on an ESA deal that would have implemented more tempered reforms in exchange for the elimination of a voter initiative proposing sweeping changes to the program.
Lawmakers initially agreed to back off on three legislative referrals: House Concurrent Resolution 2048, a measure poised to kill the Protect Education Act; House Concurrent Resolution 2040, which restricts union participation for educators; and Senate Concurrent Resolution 1032, which dictates school districts’ use of instructional dollars.
But the final deal floated by the majority — bearing the name of gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs — only offered to take the union measure off the table.
